New Zealand, New Me

Hiatus

The good news: I haven't died. The bad news: the podcast is going into a yearlong coma. The okay news: I'm starting a new podcast in the near future. Listen to learn more!

Check Valve - Rail Strike (Part 2)

In today's episode, we wrap up our discussion of the threatened rail strike in the United States. How did Congress and the Biden Administration respond, and why? Then we look at how the Relief Valve could have been used to avert this crisis in a more favorable way for the rail workers. Sources: https://apnews.com/article/business-economy-strikes-congress-government-and-politics-055609b54cfd5d21de0f42fccddff22b https://newrepublic.com/post/169262/musk-suspends-kanye-west-twitter-again-this-time-nazi https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/senate-reaches-deal-vote-avert-rail-strike-rcna59600 https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/117-2022/h490 https://news.yahoo.com/house-votes-impose-union-contract-182135676.html https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/117-2022/h491 https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2022/12/12/chamber-of-commerce-brags-about-blocking-sick-days-for-railroad-workers/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railway_Labor_Act#Constitutionality

Check Valve - Rail Strike (Part 1)

In today's episode I discuss the (potentially cancelled) rail strike. Who were the workers that threatened to strike, and why were they doing so? What did the contract Congress forced on them grant, and what did it leave out? Sources: https://www.aar.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/AAR-Rail-Shutdown-Report-September-2022.pdf https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/nov/30/us-rail-strike-congress-house-senate-union-sick-leave https://www.statista.com/statistics/553288/ridership-north-america-amtrak/ https://www.nationalreview.com/2022/09/two-largest-freight-rail-unions-still-holding-out/ https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/01/rail-unions-warn-of-election-consequences-with-labor-deal-in-senate-.html

New Zealand, New Me

In today's episode I discuss my recent trip to New Zealand and the realizations about the Relief Valve that accompanied it. Spoiler alert: we have work to do.

Student Loan Debt

In today's episode, I first look at the injunction placed against Biden's student debt cancellation by the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. Why was it put in place? Will it stand up to Supreme Court Scrutiny?  Then I turn my attention to the greater problem of student loan debt in our country, and how we can reform our bankruptcy code to ensure that future students take on less debt in the future; an economic reform in keeping with the tenets of the Relief Valve. Sources: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/student-debt-relief-legal-limbo-advocates-urge-people/story?id=92015239 https://thehill.com/homenews/3702337-political-legal-battle-heats-up-over-student-loan-forgiveness/ https://www.consumerfinancemonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2022/10/8th-Circuit-injunction-order.pdf https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/state-attorneys-general-sue-to-halt-9547242/ https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/ARAG/2022/09/29/file_attachments/2283559/09.29.22%20Complaint%20-%20Neb.%20v.%20Biden%20Student%20Loan.pdf https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/blog/busting-myths-about-bankruptcy-and-private-student-loans/#:~:text=For%20too%20long%2C%20a%20myth,to%20federal%20student%20loan%20borrowers. https://www.americanbar.org/groups/business_law/safeborrowing/student/bankruptcy/ https://www.law.com/2022/05/10/private-student-loan-debt-and-the-exception-to-discharge-as-viewed-through-the-eyes-of-the-circuit-courts/?slreturn=20220926183034 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/523#a https://www.insider.com/cost-of-college-countries-around-the-world-2018-6#united-states-8202-28